title: Influence of an alternating 3 Hz magnetic field with an induction of 0.1 millitesla on chosen parameters of the human occipital EEG.
abstract: In 62 volunteers it was studied, whether an alternating 3 Hz magnetic field (induction 0.1 mT) vertically applied to the head over a period of 20 min causes changes in EEG parameters. The study's design was a random crossover controlled, blind one. The field was generated by a Helmholtz coils arrangement. The occipital surface EEGs (O1 and O2) were derived against the left earlobe. Significant differences (two-tailed P < 0.05) between sham and real exposure were found for the relative spectral amplitudes of the theta (3.5-7.5 Hz) and beta band (12.5-25.0 Hz) and the theta/beta ratio. These observations can be interpreted as a more pronounced reduction of alertness under the real field condition compared with the control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Medical Clinic IV, Erlangen, Germany. karsten.heusser@frauen.med.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heusser
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tellschaft
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Thoss
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D005260:Female; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects